Chillingham Castle Hotel

Chillingham Castle, Chillingham, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 5NJ

Grade I Star-listed 13th-century medieval castle offering self-catering accommodation and luxury apartments

Chillingham Castle claims approximately 50 documented ghosts, a number cited by resident ghost hunter Richard Craig. A priest brought in to banish the spirits reportedly found the task impossible due to the sheer number of active entities. The most famous ghost is the Blue Boy, also known as the Radiant Boy. Guests in the Pink Room reported mournful cries at midnight followed by a mysterious blue glow emanating from the walls. During 20th-century renovations, workers broke through a section of the three-metre-thick walls and discovered the skeleton of a young boy wrapped in blue fabric. His finger bones were worn down to stumps from scratching at the stone. Since the discovery and removal of the remains, the intensity of the haunting has reportedly decreased, though blue flashes of light continue to appear above beds in the Pink Room. Lady Mary Berkeley died in 1719 in the Grey Apartment after her husband, Lord Grey of Wark and Chillingham, abandoned her for her own sister, Henrietta. Visitors to the Grey Apartment report sudden drops in temperature, the soft sound of rustling silk, and the scent of roses. Staff have witnessed her figure emerging directly from her portrait hanging in the room. The castle's violent history as a border fortress means that much of its paranormal activity connects to centuries of warfare, torture, and execution. The courtyard, where prisoners were put to death during the Scottish-English conflicts, produces regular reports of shadowy figures and disembodied voices. The King Edward Room, where the remains of children who died during wartime were found, contains what visitors describe as a menacing, aggressive presence.

Spirits: The Blue Boy (Radiant Boy), Lady Mary Berkeley (The Grey Lady)...